Waimakariri council lobbies for bridge replacement
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Replacing the Skew Bridge in west Kaiapoi remains a priority, Waimakariri mayor Dan Gordon says.
The council has been lobbying Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency for funding to assist with the estimated $11 million replacement cost.
"I would like to bring it forward, but without the subsidy it will place 100% of the cost on the council," Gordon said.
He was responding to comments from ratepayer Bruce Bellis, in a council meeting on November 7.
Bellis called on the council to take urgent action to replace the bridge.
"It is a dangerous bridge, it is a very narrow bridge, and it is very old and parts of it are crumbling away.
"It is in urgent need of replacement."
He said the bridge was dangerous because it was narrow, with trucks crossing the bridge with wheels over the centre line.
"It is not uncommon to see parts of rear view mirrors (of trucks) lying on the bridge."
Bellis presented a 2019 report, Skew Bridge Point of Entry, which he said the council had received from Waka Kotahi.
He received the report as part of an Official Information Act request to the council.
But the council’s transport and roading manager, Joanne McBride, said the report was prepared by council staff and submitted to the agency as part of its funding application.
It has been estimated to cost $11m to replace the bridge, with the council seeking a 51% funding share from Waka Kotahi to ease the burden on ratepayers.
"The council has been advocating to Waka Kotahi to replace Skew Bridge for years and has committed to funding the council share of the project," McBridge said.
"To date there has been no funding commitment from Waka Kotahi.
"The Skew Bridge project is required to go through a business case process to secure co-funding from Waka Kotahi before it can proceed, however, when last assessed it did not meet the criteria for funding."
She said the council was continuing to work with Waka Kotahi to explore funding opportunities.
Skew Bridge was listed at number 25 in the priority list for projects to be included in the draft 2024-34 Canterbury Regional Land Transport Plan.
Council staff believed the bridge had about 17 years of life remaining.
In the meantime safety improvements were completed last year on the approaches of the bridge and active warning signs have been installed to remind drivers to slow down as they approached the bridge.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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62.5% Summer
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36.1% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
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Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
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👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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